Blood Magics
by Dragonstars
Summary: ... It's not over yet. Kurt's past is rising to strike once more, this time from so far back that Kurt can't even remember it. And Dragon, trying only to start a new life, runs into a string of the worst luck imaginable... sequel to Destiny Magics. larger summary inside because the whole thing wouldn't fit.
1. A Dragon's Lights

X-Men: Evolution

Blood Magics

**A/N yes, I live. I know it's been awhile. My college course gave me little time to write… and even when I had time, I didn't have any inspiration. I'm still not finished writing the story (you may remember I said I liked to write out the whole story before I start posting it so I know where it goes and can make any necessary changes in earlier chapters), I only have 10 and a half or so (and this story will most likely be at least 20), but I have a couple reasons for posting this now. One, I feel fairly confident that I won't need to change anything in this chapter- it's just an intro, it doesn't have anything too important in it. And two, I'm hoping that posting this chapter will get me back into writing this story. My mind doesn't stay focused on one story; it jumps around so I work on a bit of this one, a bit of that one. (Good news: I have lots of stories started. Bad news: most of them are only just barely started.) Anyway, I'm hoping I don't really need to make excuses for posting a chapter early, yes?**

**Oh yeah, and the whole summary wouldn't fit, so here's the whole thing:**

**The worst secret Kurt had is out in the open, and he's relieved that no one cares. The institute carries on as usual, but with improvements; a new member, for one. But it's not over yet. Kurt's past is rising to strike again, this time from so far back that Kurt can't even remember it. And Dragon, trying only to start a new life, runs into a string of the worst luck imaginable. Will either of them be able to keep themselves from tumbling into a chaos they won't be able to get out of, or will they fall and never rise again? Sequel to Destiny Magics.**

**For those of you who haven't read Destiny Magics, I recommend you do so. Things would make much more sense. And, if you do read it, feel free to review. Tell me what you think of my character. I'd like to publish stories someday, so it would be nice to know what you think of my ability to give a character depth and a personality.**

**Now, the stuff I said in the first chapter of the prequel still stands; I haven't seen the final season of evolution. I will also still alternate code name and real name; that's just my mind being weird. It likes to be weird. So, let's start Blood Magics, huh?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-men: Evo.**

A Dragon's lights

A small black dragon perched on the wall outside Xavier's institute, looking at the sunset. Threads of light in every colour danced in her vision. To the dragon, they seemed to sing in praise of the sinking sun.

"Nice, isn't it?" the voice broke into the dragon's thoughts and she turned to see a red- headed girl with pigtails and a somewhat canine scent leaning on the wall next to her.

"Hmmm. I never used to really appreciate it. It just used to mean it was going to get even colder." The dragon answered. "It's so much warmer here."

Rahne smiled. "It's warm now. But fall is just starting. It'll get colder in the winter."

"It'll get colder here, sure, but compared to how it was thousands of miles further north, I don't think it will be so bad. Winter in northern Yukon was harsh." The dragon stood up. "Let's go inside."

Rahne grinned. "Yes, I did come out here to get you. Dinner's ready."

"Ah."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"You said… just as we were all going to find Kurt that one time… that everyone had a different light pattern. What makes it different?"

"_What_ makes it different? That's… hard to explain. It just is different, in the way we would all be different even if we all looked completely identical. Our preferences, our experiences would make us different. The lights are the same, I guess. They are attracted to everyone by a force emitted by our bodies; they bend different ways because of things we cannot see. I don't know why or how they are different, I can only read the story they tell."

"They tell a story? What does mine say?" Rahne wanted to know.

The dragon looked at her a moment. "Yours say that while you were teased sometimes for having close relationships with canines, your life has been a fairly good one. You have many friends. I won't tell you who your match is, though, because that would be cheating."

"My match? It tells you that?" Rahne looked startled.

"When patterns interact, they do. But you have to find out for yourself."

"Oh." Rahne was quiet for a moment. Then she grinned. "Okay then, who's yours?"

"I don't actually have one… I mean, I don't have a light pattern. Not one that I've ever seen."

"Huh…" Rahne was quiet for a moment, then she grinned again. "Maybe you're compatible with everyone. Spend some time with people, Dragon, and I think everyone would like you. Come on, let's go in." Rahne headed toward the door, leaving the dragon behind her staring at her back without realizing it.

'That's… certainly one thing I never considered. But… after the incident in the woods with Kurt and that vengeful shadow, I got a whole new answer.' The dragon reflected. 'Tristan was a being of shadow. He had no substance, scent, and he didn't have a light pattern, either. I may have substance and scent, but…' The dragon turned her head to the side and breathed a wisp of Shadow Fire, the same thing that the hate- filled Tristan had been made of. '…I too am a shadow being. And shadow and light cannot coexist in the same place and more than it can be day and night in the same place at the same time.' The dragon crouched down and launched herself into the air, beating her wings. 'Of course, I still doubt I have a match. Who else besides me would look like this?'

The dragon flew toward the doors of the institute.

* * *

Upstairs, in a room empty except for the two of them, Kitty held a sobbing Kurt. "Shhh." She soothed.

To no one's surprise, the "incident," as everyone now called it, had left Kurt with PTSD. Kitty joined him in his sessions with Professor Xavier for support. Kitty wished it wasn't so hard on him- the session left him like this every time. She wished they didn't have to do this at all. But she knew that if they didn't Kurt may not be able to recover from this. So she stayed with him through the sessions, to hold him after- he needed her to. Kurt's crying began to subside.

"Thank you." He whispered. Kitty pulled back so she could kiss his forhead, then hugged him again.

"Don't worry." Kitty whispered back. "I'm here, always." 'whether you need me to be or not.' She added inside her head. "I'm here."

**A/N okay, so that's that. I've been figuring out some better ways to format thing… I'll probably (eventually) go back to Destiny Magics to do some editing, fix typos, that kind of thing. But focusing on this story, please review. I may be convinced to a) write faster and b) post more chapters sooner (before I finish the rest of it, which may take a while) if I get reviews. If you have a comment, I want to hear it.**


	2. Episode

X-Men: Evolution

Blood Magics

**A/N well, I finished the chapter I was stuck in (it stayed in that chapter for weeks), then got stuck in the next one. I am working on it… kind of. I've had little time and less inspiration… and even when I did, I was more interested in working on another story. But, well, I'll post this chapter and see what happens with things then. This chapter gets into action at the end, though not the kind you might expect, and, well… I'm sorry for the cliff-hanger it leaves off at. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll write/update.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-men: Evo.**

2. Episode

The dragon locked eyes with a reddish- brown wolf and growled. The wolf growled too.

"Mine!" the dragon managed to snarl out from the object between her teeth. She couldn't understand the wolf's answering snarl, but would've bet it was the same word. Both parties tugged harder at the object they held, each trying to rip it out of the other's mouth. Jean, just happening to pass by at this moment, stopped and frantically called out,

"Stop it, you two! Cut it out! It's about to-" before Jean could finish, a sharp cracking noise split the air as the Frisbee the dragon and wolf had in their mouths cracked in half, causing both the furred and the scaled to stumble backwards and sit down hard. Jean sighed. "Break. You guys!" she walked up and tugged the half out of the dragon's mouth, and said dragon looked at her paws. Rahne turned back into her human shape and, after taking her own piece out of her mouth, held her empty hand out to Jean as an offer to throw out both pieces herself. Jean gave it to her, and said "Really guys, you have to find something sturdier to play tug- of- war with. Frisbees just can't hold up to your strength. This is the third one you've broken this month."

"Yes, Jean." Rahne mumbled. The dragon said nothing, but lowered her head in shame. Jean kept walking, and Rahne dashed off to dispose of the Frisbee pieces. With nothing else to do, the dragon closed her eyes and extended her hearing as far as it would go- which was astoundingly far. Inside, on the fourth floor, she could hear Scott telling off Iceman for leaving a patch of ice in the middle of the hallway. Grinning, the dragon focused her ears on the noises outside, where she was. Most of the X- kids were outside as well, so she was bound to catch more interesting conversations than that one.

* * *

Kurt frantically tried to think of a polite way to get rid of Tabitha and came up with nothing. All he could do was wait for Kitty to meet him like she said she would so they could go for ice cream.

"Come on, Kurt." Tabitha cooed. "Why don't the two of us go somewhere?"

"Because I'm vaiting for Keety." Kurt said shortly- he was beginning to lose his patience.

"Always your best friend, huh? I like your loyalty. But we should go out sometime, just the two of us- and try things like this!"

Tabitha suddenly launched herself at Kurt, wrapped her arms around his neck, and locked her lips on his.

Unnoticed by either of them, Kitty appeared from around the corner just in time to see their lips touch. Her eyes widening, she turned and ran without a word, ran into the forest a ways, still unnoticed. She stopped by a tree and leaned against it, panting, hands on her knees. She stayed like that for a moment, then straightened.

"Okay, Kitty." She spoke out loud to herself, trying to calm herself down. "Okay. Think back. Was that really what it looked like?" Kitty thought for a minute, then realized that Kurt's eyes had been wide with shock. "No." she answered herself. "I didn't think he'd do that; that seemed more like a Tabitha move. He wasn't expecting it; it was in no way because of Kurt. So, all I have to do is go back there and ask Tabitha what the hell she thought she was doing." The pain and sadness Kitty had initially felt was quickly turning into a seething anger. She turned around and stalked back towards the people she had just run away from.

Meanwhile, Kurt shoved Tabitha away, fuming, the moment he could. His anger was flaring at being kissed by someone he no longer had any feelings stronger than mutual friendship for… and after that stunt, he was currently feeling even less toward her.

"Vhat zhe hell vas zhat?" he demanded. Tabitha giggled.

"I'm sure you already know. Come on, we should really go on a date sometime, Kurti."

Kurti. Kurt's eyes widened and his pupils dilated almost completely. Suddenly he was in a dark forest with a huge, shadowy monster trying to kill him. He couldn't let it… and he couldn't let it after Kitty, either, whom it had threatened to kill next. He just couldn't let it. Letting out a feral snarl, he jumped at it.

Tabitha yelped and stumbled when Kurt suddenly attacked. She tried to back away, but he went after her, gripping her arms with a bruising force, his sharp fingernails brutally slicing the skin on her arms. Unable to get away, Tabitha could only scream as Kurt shifted his position to give her a blow that would without a doubt break her neck and kill her.

* * *

Suddenly, a snarl erupted from behind Kurt, not as feral or as menacing as his, but loud and distracting. Kurt tipped over for a moment, overbalanced, but reacted quickly and twisted, throwing the dragon off his back. The dragon landed clumsily, but righted herself immediately and sprang to a new spot, putting herself between Tabitha and Kurt. She had come as fast as she could the instant she'd heard Tabitha call him "Kurti," knowing exactly what Kurt's reaction would be. The dragon growled. If Tabitha had any sense, she'd have known it too! Kurt had severe PTSD… anything remotely like the incident in the woods could set him off… then she had to be an idiot and call him that name! the dragon promised herself darkly that once Kurt came back to his senses, she was going to make sure to have a talk with Tabitha.

Kurt snarled and sprang at the dragon. The dragon sprang at him, knowing that if she didn't make him concentrate on _her_, he would likely go after Tabitha again. Lashing out, the dragon struck at him with her paws and the flat sides of her tail (as opposed to the sharp sides) while trying to avoid his own versions of those appendages. She did her best to keeping him occupied with her claws sheathed- she didn't want to hurt him, he was her friend! She could only hope the one person who could bring him back to himself would get there soon…

Suddenly, she felt Kurt twist, a hand grabbing her front right paw whilst his tail twined around both of her back ones. The dragon toppled over onto her back. The hand holding her paw tightened and wrenched, and the dragon both felt and heard the bones in it crunch and splinter. She screamed in pain, but her scream was abruptly cut off when Kurt's fangs sank into her throat.

**A/N there… yeah, I said sorry about the cliff hanger earlier… oh, and anyone out there who knows a lot about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and disagrees with the way I portrayed Kurt's episode of it, my apologies, but 3 things: it's been a while since I studied it, we didn't go too deep into it when I was (it was a high school course that included psychology), and right now, I don't care too much for making sure it's accurate. This is the way I wanted it, so this is the way I put it. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon (whether I move further in my writing or not), but I can't make promises. I am very happy with my first few chapters, so I'm not worried about needing to make changes, and I hate cliffhangers myself… that's why I will try. If you want me to try harder, you know what to do. Just don't yell too loudly. Some moron's been enjoying playing with the fire alarms in the college residence yesterday and the day before, and I'm not sure my ears can take much more for a while. That sucker's **_**loud**_**… well, duh, I guess, but still. Ow.**


	3. Bite Me

X-Men: Evolution

Blood Magics

**A/N yeah, it's been quite awhile… my apologies. I have managed to start the chapter I've been stuck in… I'll admit, I've done a very pitiful amount of writing, but I've had other things to do… and I did have a week off last week, but I really wanted to get in all the nothing I possibly could. I'll try working on it more… but unfortunately, I can't make promises about update times, not for a while at least. But I can promise that eventually, I will get this story done. I won't give up on it… it'll just take time. In the meantime, here's this chapter; it's my birthday, so I figured I'd get this out and you could give me reviews as presents. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-men: Evo.**

3. Bite Me

Kurt awoke, blinking his eyes open to see a white ceiling and started to hear a beeping sound. He tried to move and found he was bound to the bed he lay on.

"Kurt?" the voice came from beside him, and he turned his head.

"Keety?"

Kitty looked relieved. "Oh, thank goodness. You feel okay? Normal?"

"Yes." Kurt answered, trying to think. Kitty got up and, before Kurt could even ask why they were there, removed the restraints on him. Sitting up, Kurt realized he was not connected to a heart monitor. So who was? He turned his head to look.

"Oh, Kurt, no! Don't!" Kitty cried, frantically trying to grasp his head and turn it back toward her. But it was too late. He saw it, in the bed next to his: a tiny, still black form.

Kurt immediately let out a strangled sob as the memories flooded back. They stopped at the moment Tabitha had called him "Kurti," but it didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

"Nein… Nein! Mein Gott… Dragon! Vhat have I… vhat… I killed her!" tears of shame, horror, fear, and sorrow spilled out of his eyes and didn't stop. Kitty kneeled on the bed and embraced him, holding him close.

"No, no! shhh, Kurt, no! Listen! Listen!" for a few moments that was all she could do, was hold him close and tell him to listen. When at last he calmed just slightly, she held him even tighter. "Kurt, listen. You hear that beeping?" Kurt nodded. "That heart monitor is hooked up to _her,_ Kurt. You didn't kill her, Kurt; she's alive. That's _her_ heart you can hear beating. She's okay, Kurt. Really. It's okay." She repeated those last two words over and over as the boy she held trembled. Slowly, very slowly, his crying quieted and his trembling ceased as the events of earlier combined with the energy expended in his crying sent him back into a deep sleep.

* * *

Kitty shuddered as she remembered. She had heard Tabitha scream with terror and sped up, arriving just in time to see the dragon scream and get cut off by Kurt. She herself had screamed out "NO!" and leaped at Kurt, phasing him away from the dragon. She wasn't too sure what happened right after that, but she suddenly found herself with an unconscious Kurt, a scared crap-less Tabitha, and a possibly dying dragon. Luckily, help was already on the way; the dragon had called to Xavier just before she had intervened, and he had immediately prepared everything that became needed. Kurt, Tabitha, and the dragon were immediately taken to the infirmary. Kurt was bound to the bed in case he was still not himself when he woke, while Tabitha had been quickly looked over by Jean and, when the injuries on her arms had been treated, had been sent to her room. Both Wolverine and Professor Xavier had told her they wanted a word with her. From their tones and the looks on their faces, Kitty could say with certainty that the word would not be, "Blessings"… or anything remotely close.

Then there was the dragon. Beast had immediately took her for surgery, and had taken so much time that Kitty had lost track of how long. When he came out and hooked to all the medical machines like the heart monitor and some fluid bags, his expression was grave. When Kitty asked, he'd told her the bite had been too close to severing several major arteries and veins for his liking. He told Kitty that if she'd been a moment later, dragon probably wouldn't have made it. As it was, a couple of the aforementioned important arteries and veins had been ripped into; recovery wasn't a sure thing. The chance was slight, and it was only there at all because the dragon was far tougher than she looked, inside and out.

Kitty lay Kurt down on the bed and lay beside him, still holding him. The dragon would survive. She had to. She would. She was strong. She was tough.

* * *

The dragon stood in what seemed to be a black swamp. The thick, black mud was up past the base of her wings and made moving nearly impossible. But she could see light in the distance, hear far- off voices, so the dragon pushed through the heavy, clinging dark goop for an eternity until she reached it. She tried a dozen times. Each time she reached the light, it glowed so brightly white that she was nearly blinded, pain erupted everywhere, and the combination of that pain and the stuff she could smell running through her blood sent her spiralling back into the darkness where she pushed toward the light once more.

* * *

At last, the dragon's eyes cracked open. The light attacked the sensitive purple orbs, making them hurt as almost as much as the rest of her body, but she forced them to stay open until they adjusted and the pain was less intense. She blinked, opened them a little more, and raised her head just slightly. It was hard to focus, but the dragon saw someone in front of her, their head resting on the bed that she seemed to be on, and the dragon was pretty sure they had their eyes closed. The dragon sniffed; her senses felt dulled, but there was no mistaking that smell. Then, the eyes opened, and the person they belonged to blinked once before sitting up fast.

"Dragon!" Rahne exclaimed, then put her arms carefully around the dragon in an extremely cautious hug. "Oh thank God! You scared all of us- we thought we were going to lose you!"

The dragon blinked, her head clearing some, and pain seemed to seep into the new space, but the dragon ignored it as best she could.

"Kurt?" the dragon asked, her voice sounding horrible and the pain in her throat flaring when she used it. Rahne winced.

"He's alright- Kitty brought him back to his senses right after he… well, bit you…" she trailed off. Somewhere in the back of her mind Rahne wondered if there was a sound horrible enough to rival how the dragon's voice now sounded. Broken glass on a blackboard? A chainsaw trying to cut a brick? Frankenstein's monster singing opera?

That last one almost made her smile, but her thoughts flew out of her head when the dragon croaked, "I want to talk to Tabitha."

The dragon, more awake now, started feeling rage bubble in the pit of her stomach, rage that seemed to block out the pain. The state of her throat be damned, she wanted a word with Tabitha and she was going to say what she wanted to say even if her voice never worked again after. "Get her in here. Now."

Rahne could hear the dragon's rising anger, and called in her mind, 'Uh…Professor!'

* * *

Xavier's mind touched Rahne's, and he found that the dragon was awake. Touching the dragon's mind now, he sent, 'You're awake. You frightened us a great deal. How are you feeling?'

'Well enough.' The dragon growled in her mind. 'I want to talk to Tabitha, now! Send her in here!'

'Now, dragon.' Xavier tried to soothe her. 'Now in not a good time. The damage to your throat is bad. You shouldn't strain it-'

'I'm not waiting! I'm going to say what I want to say, and if she's not sent in here, I'm ripping out these tubes and wires and I'll find her myself!'

Xavier rapidly weighed his options. He knew she was serious; he could not only feel her anger and determination, but he was well aware that both the life she lived until a short time ago and her mutation combined gave her an extremely impressive pain tolerance for a nine- year- old. Since Beast was not right next to her with a sedative, he doubted they could subdue her before she could carry out those actions. Even if they somehow could, then when she next woke she would certainly not wait and see if this would be repeated, but would look for Tabitha immediately. And they couldn't keep her sedated until she fully healed- even if they were careful, a constant sedative could become a dangerous overdose very quickly in someone that small. Her running through the halls with a torn neck and broken paw was an extremely bad idea as well. Since she had given an option in which she remained fairly still, the smartest thing to do would be to take it.

'Very well.' Xavier sent. 'I will send her to you.'

* * *

After a few moments, the door opened and Tabitha tentatively poked her head through. Only the dragon was in the room, Rahne having sighed and reluctantly left when the dragon had told her to go. Tabitha slowly edged in and shut the door, easily seeing the dragon's unparalleled fury in her eyes. Upon seeing her, the dragon had to force down the desire to bite her. She allowed the thought to entertain her for a moment, though:

'nice and hard. Very deep. Maybe leave a scar so that the lesson sticks!'

The dragon audibly growled. "At least tell me you didn't deliberately time that kiss you gave Kurt so that Kitty, his _girlfriend, _would see." She snarled.

"No, I… wha… Kitty saw? Wait- she's his girlfriend?" Tabitha stuttered.

"What are you, stupid? It's not that hard to see! How much of an idiot could you possibly be, girl?"

Tabitha had never heard such cold fury in anyone's voice in all her life.

"I- I… wai… don't… I…"

"Don't stutter at me, girl! Your stupidity almost got me killed! SPEAK!" the dragon snapped, pushing her voice to the highest volume it could currently go on the last word. Tabitha dropped to her knees, tears trickling down her cheeks. The dragon felt no pity.

"I… I… God, I really am stupid!" Tabitha choked. The dragon blinked, her fury ebbing just a little. She hadn't expected this. "I triggered his episode, didn't I… with that name. I thought it was cute…"

"Use common sense! The only other people who called him that name tried to kill him? Do you think they thought the name was cute? Is it any wonder he tried to attack you when you gave him that flashback?" the dragon snarled.

Tabitha sobbed. "No… I should have thought… God, I'm so stupid! How could I have thought it would be fine to use that nickname… and how could I have not noticed him and Kitty?"

"I hope you realize that I really don't like you… and when I don't like someone, I go out of my way to make things difficult for them." The dragon informed her. Tabitha sniffed.

"I deserve it… I'm so stupid! I put Kurt in pain… I could have been killed… and you almost _were _killed, all because I did something stupid!" Tabitha sobbed, and sobbed for quite awhile. Eventually she quieted, stood, pushed her sleeve back, and held her bare arm out in front of the dragon's nose. "Bite me." She told the shocked dragon. "I deserve it, and while I don't think I'll forget this lesson, the more reminders the better. I want it enforced as much as possible. I'll never make up for this, but I'll do my best. So bite me."

The dragon stared at Tabitha's arm, offered willingly, right in front of her. Then she opened her mouth and lunged, sinking her teeth deep into the soft flesh, lodging her fangs as deep as they would go. Tabitha cried out. Almost as though it were a poison that left through her fangs now that they were buried in the one making her angry, the dragon felt her fury drain away. The dragon pulled her teeth out of Tabitha and grudgingly licked at the injuries until the blood stopped flowing out. It took awhile- the bite had been a vicious one. Once it had, Tabitha carefully pulled the sleeve back down, nodded tearfully at the dragon, and left, intending to lock herself in the nearest washroom and treat her arm with the first aid kit. The dragon pushed a small button, the button that Professor Xavier had told her to push when she was done, the one that called Beast. He came in and used a syringe to add something to one of the fluid bags she was hooked up to. Right away, the dragon started felling sleepy. She thought groggily about the bite she'd given Tabitha and thought,

'It's only because I felt so angry… but that felt kind of good.' The ache all over her body that she'd felt the whole time but ignored finally ebbed, and the dragon gratefully fell into a comforting darkness.

**A/N okay, there we go. You might think the end a bit shocking with the bite, but hey, we all have breaking points. Anyway, the chapter kind of reflects my thoughts on Tabitha. At first, I figured she was a flirt-with-everyone-break-the-rules-take-whatever-she-wants-never-mind-other-people kind of person, but then, after that first episode she was in, I realized there really was more to her, and I think she does care about her teammates, and I think she would be horrified if she hurt them. That's my take, anyway. Don't forget to leave a review- it's my birthday! I just turned 19!**


	4. Always Be My Friend

X-Men: Evolution

Blood Magics

**A/N okay, I'm sorry, I know this update is **_**long **_**overdue. I've been having to concentrate on other things, like upcoming exams. College got out a bit ago, so I got in my relaxing, now I'll update. I have done some writing since last time, and I'll start updating more often, hopefully. Though you should know I have a supplemental coming up on the 13th I need to study for- I will be free after that though, since I've yet to find a job, though updates may still be sporadic- our wi-fi connection has been really glitchy lately, turning off more and more often, so there may be a point where it will just stop working. And if you're at all curious, the supplemental is for parasitology (I'm in a veterinary technician course- gotta know all the kinds of worms dogs and cats can get). This'll probably be the only chapter I'll post until after the supp.- I do need to study for it. In fact, I'm studying as we speak, or… well, you know what I mean. Yep, I'm typing and I'm also going, "**_**Dioctophyma renale**_**, also known as the giant kidney worm, is thick, snakelike, reddish-brown, and can grow up to between 1-3 feet inside the kidney of your average dog. It is a worm that humans can get, though to do so they would have to eat an infested, uncooked fish or frog, and can grow in humans up to… heh heh, let's not go there. But it's called giant kidney worm for a reason.**

**Now that I've absolutely horrified you all, I have some things to say that are not horrifying (promise. Though on a side note, who would eat raw frog? I wouldn't touch a cooked one, though I suppose it might make sense to other people.). The first thing is on an author's note I left at the bottom of chapter 14 in Destiny Magics. I was re-reading it, then I realized that I accidently left out a sentence, and the statement remaining could be taken really badly. Now, no one seems to have complained so it seems that either no one noticed or people realized what I meant, but it is making me feel edgy. If I ever get to editing that story, I will fix it; right now, however, I'm going to clarify it. I'm not going to feel better until I do. So. This is what I said:**

"**By the way, I got the names Jardine, Jimaine, and Stephan from other fics that I've read. I don't know if they were actually a part of Kurt's past, but either way, I twisted them around to fit my uses,"**

**The line I meant to add in there, right in between those 2 sentences, was :**

"**I saw them in a couple different fics by a couple different author's, so I figured they were safe to use."**

**I swear, I wouldn't take characters from other people's fics without asking unless I had reason to believe that it was okay.**

**And just to let you all know, I have since looked up the names, and now know that they were in Kurt's past in some comics, so nobody needs to review or pm me to tell me that they are.**

**Whew, that feels much better. Ahhh…**

**Okay, there were some other things I wanted to mention as well, because of comments/questions in reviews.**

**Firstly, since two people have mentioned it now, I'll just say right here that you eventually will, in fact, find out what Dragon's real name is. In a bit.**

**Now, since I'm bad at PMing (though I'll make a point to reply if you PM me first), I'll say it here. Replying to Kimojuno's reviews:**

**First, I'm glad you kind of pointed out that Dragon was 9; I'm kind of eventually going to start emphasising that point a little more, because while Dragon had to grow up beyond her years, there are still parts of her that can't handle any more than a regular young child would. There also is a part, later, where Dragon and Wolverine do talk to each other, though I'm not sure I'd go as far as him being a father figure in that moment. I added that in where I was writing after I read your review; the idea it gave me fit in there very well. Thanks.**

**Now, I'm also glad to mention this of your other review, I've been looking for a way to point it out somehow. You don't have to worry, Dragon won't be anything like Sabertooth, ever, with having no humanity. However, it is best to keep in mind that for over half her life, and ending only very recently, Dragon **_**was **_**forced to live like a wild animal. You can't take someone like that, drop her in an urban environment with, uh, "normal" people, and expect the transition from wild to "normal" to be easy and instant; it's impossible. Keep in mind I'm not trying to rant at you specifically or anything; I'm using this opportunity to point out to everyone that a change like this is very stressful and takes time. Even if several aspects of her ****life have become easier, adapting to a change that big is difficult, as well as adding other complications, which I'm actually going to start addressing in this chapter. Thank you again, Kimojuno, for giving me the perfect opportunity to point this out, and for your reviews in general; everyones are greatly appreciated. **

**Okay, now that I've filled your cyber-ears with about 900 words of talk you weren't expecting (laugh), let's get on with what you **_**really **_**clicked on this story for; the story. (duh, right?) ;p**

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-men: Evo.**

4. Always Be My Friend

'Mmm… ice cream.'

The Dragon licked the cold white lump in the bowl. She didn't know how long it had been since she'd yelled at Tabitha, but she knew it had been several days. Beast had told her reproachfully that she would have recovered much faster if she had left her yelling for another day, but the Dragon felt satisfied, and they were finally letting her stay awake more than a few minutes each time she woke up before sedating her again, and they no longer yelled when she talked, if she talked in a whisper. They, of course, being Beast, Jean, and anyone else who came in to check on her. Mainly Beast.

'What was this flavour called again? Vanille? Vanilla? The second one, I think.'

The Dragon disliked that they weren't letting her move, but she didn't mind too much that she could only have ice cream, since she got to try a different flavour each time. Besides, it hurt to swallow, and the cold that trickled down her throat without her really needing to felt nice.

"How are you doing?"

Beast had walked in. The Dragon refrained from rolling her eyes with difficulty- she was asked that a million times a day.

"Good." She whispered hoarsely.

"Very good. I'm surprised you've recovered as fast as you have."

The Dragon just continued licking her ice cream until a thought struck her, causing her to lift her head and narrow her eyes in sudden worry.

"Beast? Is Kurt mad at me?"

"What?" Beast looked surprised.

"He hasn't been in to see me at all… is he angry with me?" she asked in a whisper.

"Goodness, no, Dragon. I believe…he is angry at himself."

"Why?"

"Well, I don't think he can forgive himself for the fact that he nearly killed you."

"Why? It wasn't his fault."

"It wasn't, no… but Kurt doesn't see it that way. All he sees is that the fangs that sank into your throat and nearly ended your life were his. I do not think that he feels he can face you… I believe that he is too overcome with guilt."

"Oh." The Dragon looked down quietly for a moment. Then, half-heartedly, she resumed licking her ice cream.

* * *

"Keety, vhere exactly are ve going?" Kurt asked her as she took him through the halls of the mansion, holding one of his hands.

"Just come with me, Kurt. Please."

She led him through the halls and up some stairs until they finally stopped- at the door to the infirmary.

"Oh, no, I'm not going in zhere- I can't face her, no!" he said, backing away. Before he could continue talking or backing up, Kitty grabbed both his hands, held them tightly, and said,

"Kurt, just- wait, just listen to me for a moment! Please, before you just go, let me tell you one thing!"

Kurt hesitated, then nodded.

"When I visited yesterday, Dragon was asleep, so I talked to Beast. He told me…that Dragon thinks you haven't come to see her because you're mad at her."

"Vhat?" Kurt was aghast. "Vhy Vould she zhink zhat? _I'm_ zhe von zhat nearly killed _her!"_

"Kurt, listen another moment. I talked to the professor about Dragon being nine, since I was amazed that she acts so much older most of the time. He told me… that in this case, Dragon's physical age is meaningless. She lived out in the wild since she was four, and interacted with few creatures besides the ones she ate, and certainly met with no other people. Being raised normally, and around a lot of other people, is important for a person's mind to develop properly. Since Dragon raised herself starting at four, some parts of her mind aged really quickly and are way older than her actual age. Other parts of her mind- the parts that learn and grow by being around other people- haven't aged at all. Some parts of her mind are still that of a four- year- old. Professor X said he examined her mind once, when she was asleep, and he found that everything was mixed up and confused. Kurt, when a child's friend suddenly refuses to see them, the first conclusion they come to is usually that their friend is angry with them. Kurt, I don't think she'd say it- I don't think she'd ask anyone to do something for her that they don't want to do, for fear of being selfish- but I think she wants to see you."

Kitty fell silent. Kurt did not speak either, stretching the moment of quiet as he looked at the ground. Finally, he looked at Kitty. His eyes were full of unshed tears, ones of shame as well as sorrow, but he nodded, reached out, and turned the doorknob. Very quietly, Kitty and Kurt entered the miniature hospital.

* * *

It was a good thing they had, too. The Dragon was asleep, though the way she was twitching seemed to say that she would wake in a few minutes. Kitty sat down on the bed next to her, Kurt hesitating for only a little before he did the same.

"Can anyzhing be done to fix her mind? Did zhe professor say?" he asked Kitty in a whisper.

"He said at this point, the only thing we can do is treat her the way a child of her age should be treated. Eventually, the slow parts of her mind will catch up. And, as she ages, she will catch up to the older parts of her mind." Kitty whispered back.

Just then, the Dragon made an unintelligible noise, and the two looked at her. The Dragon's head lifted slightly off the bed- she was just waking up. Kurt reached out and lightly trailed his fingers over her head. Her head tipped back- by instinct, most likely- and raised even further as though trying to follow his fingers when he took them away. Then she woke more fully and realized who was in the room with her.

"Kurt! You came! I thought you'd never come to see me!"

Though she whispered in a rough, hoarse voice, her eyes glittered with happiness and she beamed. Kurt gently- _very_ gently- put his fingers under her chin.

"Dragon… I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"For what? It wasn't really you… I know that. I know you wouldn't ever mean it, really, or do it at all if you could stop yourself. And if you can't stop yourself, then it isn't really you."

As Kurt listened to the Dragon's answer, his eyes glistened, and this time, the tears spilled.

"Vhat did I do to deserve zhis sort of kindness?" he asked quietly, not bothering to hide the tears. It was a rhetorical question, but the Dragon answered anyway.

"You give this sort of kindness, Kurt. You give all sorts of kindness, even to me… even when I didn't know how to react and barely knew what kindness was. Kurt, I… I got a favour… to ask."

The Dragon began to hesitate on that last sentence, wondering if she should really ask. Kurt put his fingers back under her chin, still crying.

"Anyzhing." He promised.

The Dragon took her head off his fingers and shoved it under his and instead. Her voice a little muffled, but still perfectly clear enough to hear, she said,

"Always be my friend. I… I never had any before."

Kurt smiled, his tears getting thicker. Kitty reached out and put her hand on top of his- the Dragon felt the added weight.

"Alvays." Kurt promised.

"Me too." Added Kitty, "I like being your friend, Dragon."


	5. Nightmares

X-Men: Evolution

Blood Magics

**A/N wow! It's an update! Yeah, I'm really sorry. I have reasons… some good, some bad. I'll give you the bad ones first, to get them over with. So… I found a new free online game that stole my interest. Dragons of Atlantis. It's awesome. You should take a look if you like dragons and haven't heard of it. And… well, I don't know if this is a good excuse or a bad one but… I have been writing. Just not this story. I got back into one of the stories I'm writing that I hope to someday publish. Got a good chunk of it written, too. And the good excuses… it's been very hectic lately. I have volunteer hours that I need to do for school, so I've been doing a lot of that, and when I get home I tend to eat lunch and then nap on the couch. I'm a terrible person with mornings. Also, there was a lot of worry and running around (mostly done by my parents, but it did affect my schedule) for both of my sisters. One sister, see, gets pneumonia a lot, and she seems to like to change things up so we never get comfortable with treating it. Last time she got it she also got a somewhat rare disease called Gillian Barre that temporarily paralyzed her from the chest down, though not quite completely. This time she started coughing up blood. Luckily, that part just seemed to be that she was coughing so hard she burst some blood vessels. She's getting better now. Right after we got her home, we had a panic over my other sister; she woke up in the middle of the night with her hands shaking uncontrollably, a metallic smell in her nose, and her hands and face numb. At first, all I could think was, 'oh my god, stroke!' luckily, it wasn't. it was a combination of things- pinched nerve in her arm after sleeping on it funny (numb arms), hyperventilating (numb face- apparently, it can cause that), and an anxiety attack (the metallic smell and the shaking hands). Both my sisters are now recovering, though if bad things come in threes, I can't help but occasionally wonder if I'm next. Hopefully not- we've had other, smaller problems so I'm hoping those'll just add up into it. That has been my crazy month. I hope you aren't too mad. I've been telling myself I can't be mad at the people whose stories I'm following that haven't updated (of which there are quite a few) when I do the same darn thing! So again, I'm very sorry. I'll try to do better… though I have a funny feeling that I'll have more luck writing when I'm back at college, for some reason. Anyway, I've talked long enough, I'll get to it now!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-men: Evo.**

5. Nightmares

The trio in the infirmary talked of pointless things after that. What the others were doing, what Tabitha's punishments were- being grounded for the rest of the year, washing and waxing the x-jet once a month for the rest of the year, and a one- on- one each weekend for the rest year. To her credit, Tabitha, for once, did not complain about her punishments. As the Dragon put it,

"She deserved what she got- her stupidity and lack of common sense almost got us both killed! Where does she keep her brain, because it certainly wasn't in her head!"

Despite the Dragon putting the blame on Tabitha, Kurt shifted guiltily. Both of the others noticed; Kitty put a hand on his shoulder, and the Dragon put a paw on his knee.

"What did you see, when she called you that name?" the Dragon asked. "Were you back in the forest with Tristan, trying to get out alive?"

Kurt shuddered, and Kitty quickly wrapped her hands around his waist.

"Yes." He whispered. "I vas back with him. I..I could really see, hear, and feel him, I… I zhought he vas really zhere. I could only zhink zhat I couldn't let him kill me, and zhat… zhat I had to stop him no matter vhat because… he told me zhat vonce I vas done, he vas going to come after you, Keety. All… all I could zhink vas zhat I couldn't let him. but I vasn't really fighting him, I vas hurting my friends…"

"You call Tabitha a friend after that?" the Dragon asked incredulously. Kurt smiled weakly, and Kitty's hold on him, which had tightened as he spoke, loosened again.

"Her, maybe not so much, maybe not anymore. But… realizing zhat I'd nearly killed you… I keep dreaming about vhat vould have happened if Keety had come too late… or vorse, vhat vould have happened if she couldn't bring me back and I killed her too."

Kitty's hold tightened again. "That would never happen, Kurt." She murmured. "Don't forget, I did come in time. I'm just fine; Dragon's getting better every day. You don't need to think about things otherwise."

"You can if yourself to death, Kurt. I'd advise against it." The Dragon added.

"Tell zhat to my subconscious." He mumbled.

"I've had bad dreams too." The Dragon chimed in, then inwardly cringed- that didn't really have to be shared. Then they turned toward her, their eyes questioning but caring, and she remembered she was no longer in neither an environment where she was alone nor in one where people didn't care much about her aside from being a practice soccer ball or thinking she was a stupid animal.

"You're having nightmares?" Kitty murmured. "Do you want to talk about them?"

The dragon's wings stayed folded, but moved up and down- her way of shrugging, the two more human- shaped mutants realized. Kitty took one arm away from Kurt's waist and reached toward the Dragon instead, brushing her fingers along the scales, careful to follow their pattern. The dragon twitched, then relaxed.

"Well… it's just kind of like what Kurt saw, only… I'm in it. I'm… on the ground, and dying, because Tristan tore my stomach open… I can't move , but I can see… Kitty, you and Rahne are in front of me, already dead, and Kurt, I can see you fighting him, but… he's killing you too." 'That's the new nightmare, anyway…' Dragon sniffled, then quieted.

'Me, Kurt, and Rahne… the three people she's most comfortable with here.' Kitty realized. "Kurt, Dragon… if these nightmares continue, then you should really talk to Professor Xavier about them. He can help you stop having them."

The Dragon nodded. Kurt, however, said,

"Ve have been vorking on zhat, Keety, but nozhing has happened yet!"

Kitty shook her head. "You're expecting too much from yourself, Kurt. Emotional scars take a long time to heal, even with the help of a psychic"

Kurt just shook his head. Then the Dragon piped up,

"I've been wondering… everyone just calls me, 'Dragon…' usually whatever I was called by people I saw long ago, which was never anything so nice, had the word 'the' in front of it… so I was kind of wondering why I wasn't called, '_The_ Dragon…' because, well, that's all I am."

"NO!" Kitty's voice came a little higher-pitched than usual, and she quickly forced it back to normal before continuing frantically. "That's not all you are, Dragon-never think that! You're a person, and however you're used to people treating you, they _should_ be treating you like one!"

"Ve can call 'The Dragon,' if zhat's vhat you vant." Kurt added. "But it sounds wrong… it sounds like you're a, a zhing, an object to be owned and treated vhatever vay."

"Oh." The dragon looked down. "No, I don't want to be a thing… I've had enough of that…"

For a little while, the room was silent, until the door opened and Beast came in, carrying another bowl of ice cream for the Dragon. Beast smiled when he saw Kurt in the room- he'd hoped Kitty would convince him to come. He put the bowl next to the dragon, talked to the tree about a few things, including how fast the Dragon was healing, and left. The Dragon looked at the bowl. It looked a lot like yesterday's flavour, except there were streaks of something golden brown in colour running all through it.

"What's this flavour?" she asked.

Kurt looked at it, then told her, "Butterscotch Ripple." That started the unimportant conversations once again, and he and Kitty stayed for most of the day, leaving only when dinner was being put on the table, not going to come by afterwards but with promises to visit again soon.

* * *

That night, as Kurt was getting into bed, he heard an almost imperceptible sound coming from the direction of his door and, turning his head, saw kitty phasing though it. She was in pajamas, as he was- or rather she was fully in pajamas whaile he was half in pajamas, and topless. The nights were still warm enough that his fur did just fine.

"I was just thinking," she began, half embarrassed, "when I had nightmares, it helped if someone was with me… maybe I could help you with yours?"

Kurt grinned. "I vouldn't mind at all."

Kitty crossed the room and crawled in beside him. Running her fingers through his chest fur, she stopped with her hand over his heart and kept it there. Kurt pulled the covers over them both, turned off the light, then circled his arms around Kitty, holding her close. With her head on his shoulder, he fell into a sleep that turned out to be dreamless.

**A/N there! A short chapter, I know, but at least it's an update! Say… does anyone else notice that since the Dragon first asked what it was, ice cream has been a bit of a motif? I thought that was kind of funny, in a strange way at least. Well, I don't know when I will next update, hopefully soon but I'm not making promises. The next chapter, the Dragon runs into some more bad luck. Reviews are good motivation! See ya later!**


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